quilt
Americannoun
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a coverlet for a bed, made of two layers of fabric with some soft substance, as wool or down, between them and stitched in patterns or tufted through all thicknesses in order to prevent the filling from shifting.
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anything quilted or resembling a quilt.
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a bedspread or counterpane, especially a thick one.
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Obsolete. a mattress.
verb (used with object)
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to stitch together (two pieces of cloth and a soft interlining), usually in an ornamental pattern.
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to sew up between pieces of material.
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to pad or line with material.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a thick warm cover for a bed, consisting of a soft filling sewn between two layers of material, usually with crisscross seams
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a bedspread or counterpane
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anything quilted or resembling a quilt
verb
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to stitch together (two pieces of fabric) with (a thick padding or lining) between them
to quilt cotton and wool
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to create (a garment, covering, etc) in this way
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to pad with material
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informal to strike; clout
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quiltsimple
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quiltssimple
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have quiltedperfect
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has quiltedperfect
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am quiltingprogressive
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are quiltingprogressive
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is quiltingprogressive
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have been quiltingperfect progressive
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has been quiltingperfect progressive
Past
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quiltedsimple
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had quiltedperfect
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was quiltingprogressive
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were quiltingprogressive
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had been quiltingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quilt
1250–1300; Middle English quilte < Old French cuilte < Latin culcita mattress, cushion
Explanation
A quilt is a thick cover for a bed, made from pieces of fabric that are stitched together and filled with padding. Quilt is also a verb, so you can quilt a quilt. The simplest quilts have two layers of fabric that are sewn on either side of a layer of batting, a thin type of stuffing. Patchwork quilts have small pieces of cotton sewn into patterns, and the fabric is sewn over the batting with stitches that make decorative designs. A quilt was originally the same thing as a mattress, and the word comes from the Latin culcita, "mattress or bolster."
Vocabulary lists containing quilt
This Week In Words: April 26–May 2, 2020
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Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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The Road to Freedom
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
We’re a quilt of positive and negative traits.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026
She has also made a quilt, using fabrics which reminded her of her time in prison.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
And then we see a quilt stitched by the inmates of H.M.P.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
I don’t know what to call the music I’m making because it’s such a sonic quilt.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026
“I wanted to offer this quilt to you before we put it in the store.”
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
